Sport and the Growing Good #154: Coach Phil Jackson (13): Elements of a great practice
Practice is where teams come together and hone their ways of playing together. Coaches play a central role in creating effective practices.
1. When looking for players, what should we be looking for? Winners. What kind of record do they have and what role have they played in it?
2. “One of the great things about the Lakers and the Bulls teams was their acknowledgement of how important practice was. The effort that went into practice and how competitive it was.”
3. Keeping practice competitive: Balance talent in practice to replicate what you’ll be facing in the game.
4. Pat Summit: “A winning gym is a noisy gym.”
5. “Gyms are noisy places…I tried to mute sound so that your voice could be heard. I think it’s really important for a coach to have a voice that’s understandable and recognizable.”
6. Silent practices to mix things up.
7. “Just basketball terminology practices.”
8. Music or not in practice? (Coach Jackson’s preference was not.)
9. Physical positioning of the coach in practice. “Move through practice with the team…I think it’s really important for you to be close to the action.”
10. Coach Jackson’s practice plan. Connecting it all to the system.
11. Coach Bill Fitch: 28 two-a-days in 29 days!
12. Neuroplasticity.
13. Repetition.
14. “How do you keep the flow going? How do you keep the energy going?...That’s fine…but you can be hurrying to a lickin’ if you have such energy that become unintelligible…You need to play under control. Controlled frenzy. Controlled chaos.”
15. How did you communicate with coaches throughout practice? Meeting an hour before practice. Making sure all coaches had a role, had a voice.
16. “We all are fallible. But we are given the authority to teach and to coach.”
17. “Credibility comes from success. It comes from voice…And also, maybe vulnerability is too strong of a word. Maybe the word is approachable. We should be approachable.”
18. Using warm-up/stretching time to connect with players.
19. Habits after practice.
20. Naps to rejuvenate.
21. Pre-practice meetings.
22. George Mumford and the “midpoint line” to gauge team mood.
23. How did you take pressure off the players? “Stop the outside noise.”
24. Keep the group protected. “It’s important that we stay small and tight.”
25. How long should a practice be? (1:45 to 2:00)